


Home Base

by ShinobiCyrus



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: (Background Danny/Sam specifically), Adopted Danielle "Dani" Fenton, Adulting, Background Relationships, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Shopping, Danielle and Danny are horrible influences on each other, Gen, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, and Jazz deals with the implications of moving away to college, y'know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:28:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28781262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinobiCyrus/pseuds/ShinobiCyrus
Summary: Jazz still isn't sure how to feel about it. Her last Christmas before moving out to college is also Danielle's first Christmas as a Fenton, as a member of the family. As her little sister."But they can'tactuallybe fighting about Santa Claus, right?" Dani asked. "It’s gotta be like...a metaphor for something.”Oh, she still has so much to learn.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 47





	Home Base

**Author's Note:**

> A Christmas Truce Secret Santa for someone who asked for a little sibling bonding between Jazz, Danny, and Dani.
> 
> I of course, have a huge soft spot for Danielle getting adopted by the Fentons and will apologize for nothing

Amity’s town square was predictably crowded, even on a weeknight. So far into the month, winter still wasn’t very much of one at all. The crisp chill was tolerable and had yet to produce a single snowflake; all they needed were light jackets and a quick stop at Jazz’s favorite locally-owned coffee place to stay warm. Tiring as the incessant commercialism was, she felt a little more chronologically grounded being surrounded by hanging lights, last-minute shoppers, and wreaths. It felt like a nice and proper Christmas.

Danielle, utterly engulfed in a glaring orange eyesore of a scarf Jack had knitted her, blew into her hot chocolate and watched a man in a Santa suit chime his bell for donations. “So…are Mads and Jack like that every year?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Jazz confirmed tiredly. 

Lagging behind them, Danny grumbled. “'Tis the season.”

“But they can’t _actually_ be fighting about Santa Claus, right? It’s gotta be like…a metaphor for something.”

Jazz sighed. “They’ve been doing it since I was little. I think it started because Mom didn’t want to raise us on “fairy tales” and Dad was more for the traditional ‘magic of season’ kind of Christmas like he had with his family. I guess it sort of snowballed over their personal belief-systems. Mom’s a hardcore scientist that doesn’t believe in anything without observable evidence and a peer-reviewed study, while Dad insists on room for faith and is willing to give anything the benefit of the doubt.”

“Wow,” Dani said. “That sounds…really deep.”

“Not really. They’re seriously _just_ arguing about Santa Claus.”

“Welcome to the family, Elle,” Danny snorted bitterly. “Too bad you missed being pissed on by a dog. Or the time we were banned from Santa’s Village for life. Now _that_ was a Christmas to remember.”

Dani leaned toward Jazz and whispered. “…is _he_ always like this every year?”

“He used to be _worse_.”

“S _till hearing yooou,_ ” Danny said in a mocking sing-song tone.

“ _Making a poooint,_ ” Jazz mimicked him.

They passed sights and shops. Danielle guzzled her hot cocoa dry and ran ahead of them, taking in all the Christmas-ey things with the wide-eyed excitement of someone who was technically only three years old.

Jazz hung back and waited for Danny to pass her so she could pinch his shoulder. 

“Ow! The hell, Jazz?”

“Would it _kill_ you to turn down your Grinch for a while?”

“I’m halfway there, why risk it?”

She glared. “Maybe because it’s Danielle’s first official Christmas with us as a member of the family!”

He winced, chagrined. “I…dammit, yeah. You’re right. I’m sorry. At this rate I’m going to need another Life Lesson About Christmas Cheer with God-Awful Rhyming.”

“…what?”

“Long story,” he said. “I promise, I’ll try better. It’s bad enough with Mom and Dad; you and Elle deserve a nice Christmas.”

Jazz jabbed his side lightly. “You do too, dweeb.”

“Yeah!” Danny yelped when Danielle hopped onto his back. “Come on, cuz! It’s not that bad being out with with us, is it?”

“Yes it’s awful everything is awful now get off.” 

He groused and complained, but Jazz caught how Danny tried to hide the little smile quirking the corner of his lips. What did he see, when he looked at Danielle’s face? It was well documented people were drawn to their own features. Did he see himself, in her, or something else?

“Ha, I saw that!” Dani leaned precariously off his shoulder, trying to meet his face. “Stop trying to pretend you’re not having fun!”

Side by side the resemblance was even more obvious. Danielle had cut her hair on a whim two weeks ago; wrapped up in her coat and scarf she could just as easily have been his little brother, or his twin. They looked like family, acted like they knew each other their whole lives, instead of only a few years. 

Jazz was caught between glowing fondness for what they had and something petty and bittersweet. Envy. Regret.

“Seriously you can get off now.”

“I still need you to help me pick out a present for Jazz. Hey Jazz!” Dani pointed a random direction. “Go thattaway until we call you, I don’t want to ruin the surprise!”

“That’s fine, I still have some shopping to do.”

“I like Rainbow Dash and gift cards!” Danielle prodded her Noble Steed. “Onwards, Ambrosius! _Aaahh-hey_!”

It was so fast, even Jazz wasn’t entirely sure she’d seen in right. Any onlooker would have sworn that Danielle had accidentally fallen off Danny, instead of falling _through_ him. 

He sipped his hot cocoa while she groaned on the floor. “Okay, I admit it: I _am_ having fun.”

Jazz left them to torment each other while she browsed store windows. One advantage of having a small social circle was getting Christmas shopping done quickly. She’d already gotten her Dad the first two seasons of _Ghost Chasers,_ special ordered that special loose-lea tea Mom loved, and found a book on philosophy for Spike. 

Danny was always easy. Anime, video games, or something space-related, of course. At a game store, she took a few quick snaps of some good candidates with her phone and forwarded them to Sam and Tucker, just to make sure. 

Hm…a Japanese RPG with an outer-space setting. Trifecta.

In theory, Danielle was easy. In practice, Jazz was constantly second–guessing herself. This was their first Christmas together as a Fenton. It had to be something _special_ , didn’t it? They’d only have this year, then she was going off across the country to Yale. Oh sure, she’d come home for the holidays, but it wouldn’t be the _same_. She’d only just gotten a little sister and barely had any time to get to know her. Jazz wouldn’t be there to help her acclimate to school, or talk to her about things she might not want to talk to mom about. 

Then again, maybe she was inflating her own importance. Danielle already had people to help her. She had Danny and Valerie, and even Sam and Tucker. Jazz was the one that was going to watch her little sister and brother grow up through phone calls or Skype chats and the brief windows of her school vacations. 

The realization stopped her cold in the middle of an aisle of anime plushies. 

Oh. Oh she was going to miss them when she went off to Yale, wasn’t she? Both of them and their parents. They would be perfectly fine, they all had each other. She was the one leaving to be off on her own, so sure she could take on the world all by herself. 

Her phone chiming brought her back to reality. A message from Danielle:

**WHATD YOU GET ME???**

A second text from Danny said: **Done yet? We’re over by the fountain**

Jazz responded: **That was fast.**

 **You’re easy** , Danny replied.

**Thrown out of the store?**

**…Politely asked the leave.**

Halfway to the fountain with her bags, Danielle sent a snapchat of them dueling with lightsabers seconds before a manager caught them.

The old marble fountain in the center of the town square was off despite the temperatures being nowhere near cold enough. Danielle was walking along the edge with her arms held out like a gymnast while Danny presumably texted Sam or Tucker. 

Danielle hopped down and scampered to her. “What’s in the bags?”

“You’ll have to wait until Christmas.”

She made a face. “Oh right. _That_ part.”

“You don’t see me pestering you about _my_ present.”

“Yeah, ‘cause your presents are boring.”

“I look forward to Christmas morning, then,” Jazz checked her phone. “It’s starting to get late. Is there anyplace else you guys wanted to go to before the stores start closing?”

Danny shoved his hands into his pockets. “Y’know what? You guys go on ahead. There’s something I need to…check out.”

“It’s no trouble, Danny,” Jazz said amicably. “We can stick together.”

“No, no, really, it’s fine.” He waved them away almost urgently. Was it cold enough for his ears to get red? With his ice powers, he could walk outside wearing flip-flops and shorts in a blizzard, Tucker had the pictures to prove it. “Just gonna…make a quick…uh. Patrol. Yeah. Just to be safe, yanno?”

Jazz raised an eyebrow at Danielle. A grin that was not at all assuring spread across her face as though Christmas had come early. “A patrol huh? Maybe gonna go by that lingerie store we passed earlier?”

Oooh…that made sense. Well, he _was_ nearly seventeen. 

The red spread across Danny’s face. “I-wha. Uh, no! No I was just…just going to-”

“Danny, it’s fine,” Jazz rolled her eyes. “We already know you and Sam are sexually active.”

He slapped his palms over his face. “Oh my God could we please please _please_ not talk about this _right here_?”

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, you’re both old enough and informed enough to be making responsible decisions about-”

“ _Why are you still talking about this_?”

“Jazz, you’re embarrassing him!” Danielle chided her. “Don’t worry, Cuz! I’ll go in and pick up something nice for you.” She already started walking. “I’ll just give a look-see if they got any sexy Ruby Gloom outfits on hand.”

“Danielle Don’t you _dare_!”

“Okay okay fine. Hey, totally unrelated what are Sam’s measurements asking for a friend.”

Danny screeched and lunged. Danielle cackled and avoided his grip, scurrying halfway to the other side of the fountain to keep him at bay. 

“Whaaat?” She needled him. “Sam’s my friend too! It’s totally not weird for me to buy her some sexy nightwear too, right?”

He chased her around the perimeter of the fountain. 

Jazz sighed. “I’ll let Mom and Dad know we’ll be late coming home.”

“Whaddya think Danny, some slinky Morticia lace or Rule 34 Mandy from Grim Adventures? Come ooon, you gotta work with me!”

“You can’t run forever I know where you _sleep_!”

“But then who’ll keep _Saaaaaam_ company at night?”

Danny hopped up and ran across the dry fountain, herded Danielle to the only other safe place. 

“Hey! No using Jazz as home base!”

Danielle clung to Jazz’s coat and peeked around her. “Help me Jazz he’s gone crazy! I always knew he was the evil twin!”

On second thought, maybe moving out won’t be so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I think I will never get tired writing Danny and Danielle being absolutely _terrible_ influences on each other. Poor Jazz is torn between having the baby sister she always wanted and having to deal with yet another dorky half-ghost sibling. Careful what you wish, for.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
